Reverse osmosis systems (referred to alternatively herein as "R/O" Systems) applied to the purification of water are known in the art. Their use is expanding rapidly for the production of relatively small quantities of potable water for household uses.
Such reverse osmosis systems under normal operating conditions produce a continuous flow of waste water, which may amount to as much as 75% of the input water volume, and which may have a high salt content. This waste water or brine must have a continuous drainage facility for removing this processed water from the reverse osmosis system. In this respect, for the safety of the system and to meet laws and ordinances of towns and municipalities, particularly where such drainage facilities are connected to the sewer system, an adequate anti-syphon means is required to prevent the possibility of sewage or tainted water backing into the R/O system through the drain for the waste water or brine. Generally this is in the form of a one inch or more air gap in the drain line at a point or at a specified height above the valve mounting surface or waste water basin overflow plane for undercounter installation set-ups.
Typically, most kitchen counter single compartment sinks have their sole bottom outlet plumbed directly to the main waste inlet of a conventional garbage disposer unit. Waste water from the sink flows through the garbage disposer and exists horizontally via an outlet plumbing elbow, provided with and attached to the disposer at its lower side, which leads through a 90.degree. bend vertically downwardly into the upper inlet end of a standard plastic or brass tubular plumbing trap. The disposer may also have a dishwasher drain line connected into the upper side thereof that feeds waste water from the dishwasher through the disposer and out of the disposer outlet.
Hitherto, a serious problem has existed with respect to undercounter R/O Systems installations, particularly retrofit installations, with respect to the manner and means for connecting the outlet end of the waste water drain line, downstream of the air gap, to the standard disposer drain plumbing fittings conventionally encountered in most household plumbing systems. All plumbing codes (and most R/O manufacturer's warranties) now prohibit the connection of R/O waste water drain line anywhere in the outlet plumbing elbow of the disposer because of the danger of clogging by the relatively high velocity discharge from the disposer when the same is operated in the disposal grinding mode to grind and wash down garbage and similar refuse. Such codes also require the R/O waste water drain line to be connected upstream of a suitable sewer trap. Hence in the case of single compartment, disposer-equipped sinks there may be no alternative for the R/O System installer but to run the R/O waste water drain line down through the kitchen floor to a laundry sink standpipe or available basement or cellar floor drain. Of course, this procedure is expensive and time consuming from the labor and material standpoint, and in some instances a suitable connection of this type may not be economically feasible or even available, thereby effectively preventing installation of the R/O System.
Even in those residential kitchen sink installations which are provided with a double compartment sink, certain installation problems remain. In such double sink installations one of the sinks or sink compartments carries the garbage disposer, and the other, non-disposer sink, has its waste water outlet connected via standard plumbing fittings, which includes a horizontal outlet run leading into a conventional baffle Tee-fitting connected between the disposer elbow and sink drain trap. This disposer Tee has an interior baffle which operates to divert the downward discharge from the disposer elbow away from and past the Tee-inlet connected to the non-disposer sink plumbing. Plumbing codes permit the R/O waste water drain line connection to enter such non-disposer sink waste plumbing upstream of the disposer baffle Tee because of the isolation provided by its interior baffle. Accordingly, commercially available R/O System installation equipment often includes conventional drain saddle hardware fittings, i.e., split clamp straps, mounting fasteners and an associated drain saddle elbow for making this waste water drain connection to such existing plumbing fittings. However, this requires that a suitable hole be drilled into either the vertical or horizontal run of the non-disposer sink outlet plumbing fittings, and the drain saddle clamp fitting registered and clamped to communicate the elbow with the drilled hole.
Although kitchen double compartment sinks thus can legally accommodate connection of the R/O waste water drain line in the immediate vicinity of the undercounter R/O System installation, all state and local plumbing codes now prohibit the use of saddle-type valves and/or drain connections. (See article entitled "Drain Saddle Controversey Spawns Alternatives" and subtitled "Will innovations resolve an old problem?") by Dennis Bowman on pp. 34 and 36 of the July, 1995 issue of Water Technology (Volume 18, No. 7)). Hence in such states, even with a double compartment sink plumbing arrangement incorporating a disposer baffle Tee, the R/O waste water drain line outlet again must be run from under the kitchen counter to the basement or some other area having a standpipe or drain arranged to feed into a suitable entry point to the household sewer system, such as the aforementioned laundry sink standpipe or basement floor drain. Such waste water drain line connection problems have seriously impeded or prevented retrofit installations of R/O filter systems in existing dwelling structures, particularly in older residences and in well developed older communities supplied with municipal water, where such R/O water filter systems are particularly needed.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved R/O waste water drain line outlet connection system and adapter coupling hardware which overcomes the aforementioned problems in a simple, efficient, reliable and economical manner.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved drainage system and improved adapter coupling fittings for safely and readily coupling the R/O waste water drain line to existing household single sink disposer outlet plumbing in the immediate vicinity of the undercounter R/O filter system installation.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive plumbing adapter coupling fitting improvement for connecting the waste water drain line to the existing undercounter single or double sink plumbing, whether or not equipped with a garbage disposer, and which is easy to install and highly compatible with existing inexpensive plastic or brass tubular slip joint (S/J) undercounter type plumbing fittings as well as with heavier duty Schedule 40 plastic, steel or cast iron plumbing of conventional design and standardized, code-approved construction.
A further object of the present invention is provide an improved waste water drain line outlet adapter coupling fitting of the foregoing character which can be either preassembled or readily assembled and disassembled on site with no tools.
Still further objects are to provide improved waste water drain systems and associated improved adapter coupling fittings in various forms embodying common features for use either with the aforementioned R/O water filtrations systems or with other water treatment appliances having like bypass or backwash outlet drain tubing requirements, and wherein the improved fittings are (1) quick and easy to install and remove; (2) reliable and (3) quiet in operation; (4) inexpensive to manufacture; (5) have a long and useful service life; (6) are fully compatible with standard commercially available undercounter tubular or heavy wall Schedule 40 plumbing, and (7) are readily convertible to a form that provides air gap anti-siphon operation in an improved manner.
Another object is to provide an improved method of easily and quickly installing the aforementioned improved adapter coupling fittings in various conventional and existing household and commercial drain plumbing hook-ups to readily convert the same to thereby provide improved R/O and/or other waste, bypass, or back flush liquid drainage systems, such as residential and commercial softeners and water distillers with automatic backwash operation and commercial R/O systems.